Daniel Aldan Castro, left, walks toward Courtroom 220 for a preliminary hearing on Monday. Behind him is Xian Xi Li, another defendant, escorted by a Corrections officer.
AFTER hearing the testimony of Department of Public Safety Detective Melvin Cadiang, Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho found probable cause to charge Daniel Aldan Castro, 42, who was accused of threatening a Commonwealth Utilities Corp. employee with a gun.
The judge said there is “probable cause to believe that the crimes of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, in violation of 6 CMC § 1204(a) as charged in Count I of the Information, and Disturbing the Peace, in violation of 6 CMC § 3101(a) as charged in Count II of the Information were committed and the person who may have committed said offenses is Daniel Aldan Castro.”
“The defendant is therefore held to answer said charges,” the judge added.
He scheduled a case management conference for July 23 at 1:30 p.m. before Associate Judge Teresa K. Kim-Tenorio.
Castro appeared in the custody of the Department of Corrections and was represented by attorney Sean Frink. Chief Prosecutor Chester Hinds appeared for the government.
The complaint
According to the probable cause declaration of DPS-Criminal Investigation Bureau Investigator Melvin D. Cadiang, Police Officers Jake Santos and Edwin Basto responded to the scene after DPS received a call from a CUC employee at 9:54 a.m. on Tuesday last week, saying that Castro had pointed a gun at him while he and his co-workers were putting up a power pole on Afetna Road in San Antonio.
The CUC employee told the responding police officers that he flagged Castro down because the defendant was driving too fast. The CUC employee said Castro rolled his window down, shouted at him and pointed a black handgun at him, adding that the point of the gun hit the CUC employee’s chin.
He also said that Castro had a female companion whom the CUC employee heard saying, “No more, stop it.”
His co-workers told the police officers the same story.
At around 10:55 a.m., Castro’s truck was spotted on Beach Road in San Antonio heading to Koblerville. It was at the Mobil Oil gas station where Santos and Police Sgt. David Hosono saw and approached Castro’s truck. They asked Castro to get out of the vehicle. Santos patted Castro down for any weapons while Hosono searched the truck but did not find a handgun.
About an hour later, police officers brought the CUC employee to the Mobil gas station in Koblerville where he identified Castro as the one who pointed a gun at him.
DPS’s declaration of probable cause stated that on May 9, 2024, Police Lt. George F. David checked and found out that Castro is not a registered firearm holder.
